OTSUKA Sohei
Born: 18 March 1871 – Died: 17 May 1945
Particulars:
Sohei was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. He arrived on Waibene / Thursday Island, Australia in 1901 as a 30 year old. After three and a half years, he moved to Gimuy / Cairns for six and a half years, then to Mossman for 30 years. He had been a resident of Australia for 40 years, working as a cook when the Pacific War broke out. He was a married man, although his wife was living in Kumamoto Prefecture. Sohei was transferred to New South Wales and interned at Hay Internment Camp. The following year, he was transferred to Loveday Internment Camp in South Australia. On 17 May 1945, Sohei was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. He was 74 years old. He was initially buried at Barmera, South Australia, but his grave is now in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
-Jan Hirano Kirkham
More info:
Jan Hirano Kirkham
Artist/s Statement:
I included ume, the plum tree blossom that signifies early spring in Japan. I entwined it with barbed wire representing his internment. The five petal pearl blossom represents the pearling industry on Thursday Island. The marble tile represents the long, vertical, rectangular monuments often found in family plots near Buddhist temples. As an offering, I have placed burned incense at the base.
Artist Bio:
Jan Hirano Kirkham is a second-generation Japanese Australian who was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1954. She is the second daughter of Japanese war bride Akiko Kirkham. She resides on acreage in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland, where her happy place is forest bathing in her expansive garden.